TORONTO, June 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On June 24, 2015, business, government and academia will come together to discuss ways to enhance collaboration and improve resource recovery and waste management in Canada.

Hosted by the University of Waterloo and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA), the Resource Recovery Partnerships Workshop will highlight expert panelists from across Canada, as well as Europe and the United States. Assessing the merits of a "Resource Recovery Institute" will also be a major focus of the day-long event.

"This is a very timely session, because government, industry and academia have now entirely embraced the notion that waste is a resource," says Krista Friesen, Vice President of Sustainability at CPIA. "And bringing these stakeholders together to find ways to improve cooperation and support better decision-making is exactly what's needed right now."

In addition to panel discussions and interactive discussions, Michael Goeres, Executive Director of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) will summarize the findings of the CCME's recent national scoping report on waste during the luncheon keynote speech.

"It's important to acknowledge that resource recovery is a national challenge," says Bill Anderson, Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Waterloo. "And it goes beyond municipal solid waste collection and disposal to include industrial, hazardous and liquid wastes, as well as waste resources produced in manufacturing, packaging, mining and forestry. Then there's compost and bio-waste. All of this is up for discussion."

However, with challenge comes opportunity, so delegates will also hear the details of an important research announcement related to resource recovery and climate change.

A study previously commissioned by the CPIA shows that there is a tremendous amount of waste-related research taking place at Canadian universities and colleges.

"We found that there was a lack of coordination within the research community, and also among industry and government, so much of the true benefit of this work was lost," adds Carol Hochu, President and CEO of CPIA. "But we believe that a modest investment can open up a vast repository of data and insight, which will surely lead to better decisions and more responsive policy."

Other partners offering valuable support to the upcoming workshop include Walker Environmental, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy, PresterJohn, Canadian Resource Recovery Council, Western University, Columbia University, Region of Waterloo, City of Toronto and Ontario Environment Industry Association.

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association is the national voice of Canada's plastics industry, representing the interests of processors, material suppliers, equipment manufacturers and brand owners across the country.